After months of trying to keep their relationship on the DL, The Vampire Diaries' Ian Somerhalder and NinaDobrev are finally ready to talk about their real-life romance.

When Us Weekly caught up with the couple at The CW's Fall Premiere Party in Burbank, Calif. Saturday, Somerhalder, 32, said there are "a million things" he loves about his girlfriend of more than a year.

"When you're really close to someone, they can make fun of you a lot and get away with it," he said. "But they sort of poke you in all of the places — it all makes sense because they know you so well and it really pisses you off, but it forces you to sort of be introspective and ask yourself, 'Wow, is that really how people see me?' Apparently so!"